Safety studies indicate over 234,000 bathroom injuries each year, of which 81 percent occurred because of falls in the bathroom. See Bakalar, “Watch Your Step While Washing Up”, New York Times, Aug. 15, 2011, citing CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Nonfatal Bathroom Injuries Among Persons Aged >15 Years, United States, 2008”, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), 60 (22); 729-733, Jun. 10, 2011. Of these injuries, more than one third happen while bathing or showing. The Center for Disease Controls (CDC) estimates that 9.8 percent of all bathroom injuries specifically occur when getting out of a bathtub, which equals at least 22,932 injuries.
Applicants believe that injuries while getting out of a bathtub occur because of the wide straddling of the bather's legs when exiting a bathtub. The horizontal component force Fs that arises from this prior art arrangement is 0.306 W or almost 31% of the weight of the person. This horizontal component must be resisted by the frictional force between the ball of the anchor foot and the tub (or a tub mat). Several items affect the local coefficient of friction between foot and tub, or foot and mat and mat to tub. Water, and especially soapy water, is a good lubricant and dramatically reduces the coefficient of friction. If the widely straddled anchor foot slips, the bather's weight is subject to horizontal sideways force and prone to dangerous falls while attempting to exit the bathtub.
The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), provides recommendations that stair treads and other household items have contrasting colors, to enhance the depth perception of persons with or without impaired vision who are walking in a home environment. AOTA notes in “Maintaining Quality of Life With Low Vision”, in “Tips for Living”, 2003, that the visually impaired person's environment should be altered to help the person identify everyday items so that they “stand out” i.e. “provide a contrast” by marking them with bright colors so that they can be seen.
In “Low Vision FAQ” of AOTA, 2016, it is noted that visibility of objects can be “improved by increasing contrast between the foreground and the background. Optimal colors are black and white, but it is also useful to use opposite colors on the color wheel. Examples of commercially available objects include high-contrast tape for edges of stairs or cabinets, signature or writing guides, measuring cups and so forth.”
The organization known as Rebuilding Together of Greater Milwaukee, in “Safe at Home, Suggestions for Homeowner” notes to “Apply color contrast or texture change at top and bottom stair edges”.
In Dhital et al, “Vision loss and falls: a review” in Eye, (2010) 24, 1437-1446, 7 May 2010, it is noted that vision loss occurs in the elderly who are most vulnerable to household falls and that lack of depth perception is a cause of falls. Dhital et al also notes that the Washington DC Metro underground railway has added visual contrast to help delineate surfaces and drop-offs on Metro subway trains and stations, (citing Freeman P B, “Steady as she goes”, Editorial perspective, J. Optometry 2009, 80:161-162).
In addition to the aforementioned safety issues, when viewed in crossection from an end, conventional prior art bathtubs have limited interior bathing space by virtue of the fact that the upper apron deck provided for sliding glass doors is usually three or more inches in top width, which narrows considerably the interior bathing or showering space or volume within the conventional bathtub. Additionally, for symmetry purposes, a similar opposite wall abutting top edge is also typically three or more inches in top width, thereby further limiting the space or volume within the bathtub. While bathtubs are generally four to six feet in length, typical residential bathrooms generally have a limited rectangular footprint area of 60 inches by 30 or 32 inches within which to locate a bathtub and shower installation. So losing 1, 2, 3 or 4 inches in width results in a significant reduction in the overall internal space or volume within a typical bathtub.
Among known prior art patents includes U.S. Pat. No. 2,431,475 of Gruen, which discloses the elimination of a front bathtub apron wall and the creation of an apron effect, by providing a front wall having an upper edge wall fanning outward, both inside the tub and outwards from the front of the tub, to prevent water from splashing out of the bathtub.
US Patent Application 2011/0167728 of Alelov discloses an “Expandable Side Enclosure for Bathtubs/Showers”, to provide a solution to prevent arm movement restrictions caused to bathers in bathtubs and/or showers due to the lack of free body and limb movement in baths with standard enclosures. While Alelov provides outwardly extended bay-type windows in the sliding glass doors, which are at standing arm height, to provide more movement of the arms during a shower. However, Alelov does not increase the internal volume of the bathtub itself.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,811,896 of Ross discloses a circular topped truncated conical water basin/bowl/tub with an inwardly inverted anti-splash lip/flange. However, Ross cannot be installed in a typical rectangular bathtub footprint in a residential bathroom.
U.S. Design Pat. No. D619,685 of Hoernig discloses a shower and tub with a “flip up out of the way” apron deck, to expand the interior space of the bathtub. However, Hoernig requires moving parts and hinges, which are complicated and detrimental in a high humidity bathtub environment.
U.S. Design Pat. Des. No. 335,701 of Zaccui discloses a bathtub which increases interior space by having bulging outwardly extending side walls. However, the bulging sides of Zaccui '701 prevents its installation within a standard bathtub area.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,490,371 B2 of Torres describes a shower receptor base pan formed from a one piece mold, but where the sheet molding compound (SMC) is placed in a two piece mold, and formed and cured.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,519 of Mustee describes using a two piece mold to form bathroom shower walls with undercuts to form side wall mounting groove recesses.
These known prior art devices do not maximize internal bathtub/shower stall space within the predetermined confines of typical residential bathroom space dimensions. The use of a small depth apron deck, such as a thin front bathtub wall with straight edges, or optionally with an inwardly extending only cantilevered top apron edge in the present invention for an expanded space bathtub, where the rear wall has no apron edge, would be discouraged, if not clearly taught away from the prior art patents.
Therefore, the use of a bathtub with both a narrow apron deck, such as an inwardly extending apron deck of about 2-3 inches in depth, on a front wall having a top width of about one inch to about two and one half inches in width, together with an expanded footprint and volume for the bathtub, as in Applicants' present invention, in conjunction with the spatial confines of a rectangular bathtub installation area of a residential bathroom, is not only not suggested, but would be discouraged or taught away by the designs known from the conventional arts.